Zinc porphyrin-Re(I) bipyridyl-fullerene triad: synthesis, characterization, and kinetics of the stepwise electron-transfer processes initiated by visible excitation.

A new triad system featuring one zinc porphyrin and one fullerene moieties attached to a central redox-active Re(I) connector was obtained in remarkable yield by cleverly exploiting a facile two-step synthesis. Detailed description and discussion on the characterization of this multicomponent system and of its parent free-base analogue are presented, along with a kinetic study of the stepwise electron-transfer processes occurring upon visible excitation.